Electric shoulder-brace



(No Model.)

H. G. JOHNSON. Eleotrig Shoulder Brace.

No. 240,726." Patented April-26, 1881..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. JOHNSON, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC SHOULDER-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,726, dated April26, 1881.

Application filed December 3, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CLAY JoHNsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Meadville, in the county of Crawford an d State ofPennsylvania, have invented Improvements in Electric Shoulder-Braces andChest-Expanders, of which the following; is a specification.

The subject of my invention is a shoulderbrace and chest-expanderconsisting of a flat spring, which may be of steel, wood, or othermaterial, adapted to be laid horizontally across the shoulder-blades andattached at its ends by straps to the shoulders, the said springcontainin g or holding suitable bodies of metal having positive andnegative relations, to which are connected insulated wires of anydesired length extending from the battery thus formed to the ends of thespring, thence through or by way of the shoulder-straps to the sides ofthe body or front of the shoulders, where they receive disks or platesof metal hangingloosely from the straps, or so adjusted as to be placedin contact with any part of the person, so as to complete the electriccircuit at any desired point through the body of the wearer.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed todescribeit in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a rear view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a frontperspective view of the same.

A represents a bar or plate of either metal or wood, of suitabledimensions to rest against the back of the person, across theshoulderblades, extending to the rear of the shoulders, and pierced nearits extremities with slits a a for the reception of the shoulder-strapsB B, by which the spring plate or bar is fastened to the person.

0 D are electrogalvanic metallic plates, which may be copper and zinc,but are pret erably antimony and bismuth These plates are protected fromcontact with the body by an insulating disk or plate, E, of rubber,glass, or other non-conducting material placed beneath or in front ofthem-that is to say, between the galvanic or thermoelectric batteryformed by the plates 0 D and the person.

F G represent insulated copper wires, of any required length, extendingfrom the respective plates 0 D, one to each end of the spring bar orplate A, thence through one of the slots (No model.)

a at the end of the plate or bar, whence they are conducted by theshoulder-straps B B to the sides or front of the person, where they passthrough the said straps, leaving exposed or projecting ends, to whichare suspended lreely disks or plates of metal, H H, adapted to fallagainst and in contact with the skin, or adjusted to any parts, so thata complete electric current will be formed through the body of thewearer at any desired point, as before stated.

In order to provide for varying the length of the conducting-wires andpermit the contact-plates H H to be applied to any part of the personthe covered wires F G are coiled on a rec-1,1, the naked ends of thewires being electrically connected with the respective plates O D in anyeffective manner-as, for example, by passing them through or attachingthem to platinum or other conducting-gudgeons J J, which are insulatedfrom each other, but connected by the metallic reel-bearin gs K K withthe respective plates 0 D.

The representations of the reel and its bearings are intended only toillustrate a mode of aftbrding extension to the conducting-wires. Inpractice the particular mode of mounting the wires will be varied asrequired, and the objectionable projection from the surface of bracebarA.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The shoulder-brace consisting of a tlat bar or plate adapted to beartransversely against the shoulder-blades, connected with the shouldersby suitable straps, and provided with an electric, galvanic, orthermo-clectric battery, substantially as set forth. V

2. The combination of the spring bar or plate A, battery 0 I), andinsulating pad or plate E, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the bar or plate A, straps B, battery O D,conducting-wires F the as and for the purposes set forth.

HENRY O. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

H. A. LOCKWOOD, J. A. BABSON.

parts may be so proportioned as to avoid any G, and metallic plates H H,substantially as

